Elevator-shaft



(No Model.)

B. L. BROWN.

ELEVATOR SHAFT. No. 335,678. Patented Feb. 9, 188 6.

Wifihesses: Inventor,-

ffi 7. 244W; 2.82 z m NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN LEE BROWN, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELEVATOR-SHAFT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,678, dated February 9, 1886. Application filed August 3, 1885. Serial No. 173,386. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN LEE BROWN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator-Shafts, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a building, showing a side elevation of said elevator-shaft. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of said shaft. Fig. 3 is a plan View in section of a part of the same. Fig. 4 is a like plan view in detail showing a modification of said construction, and Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the preferable style of material used for incasing the frame of said shaft.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the respective figures.

It is well known that elevator-shafts form one of the most dangerous features of buildings in which they are placed, in the facilities which they offer for the spread of fires from floor to floor by forming a direct chimney or flue therefor.

The purpose of my invention is to overcome this serious objection and to produce an elevator shaft or well which may be light and thoroughly ventilated, while at the same time it is rendered fire-proof, or so constructed as to prevent the communication of fire from one floor to another through or around the same.

Said elevator-shaft consists of a continuous iron frame-work so constructed as to be selfsupporting, or substantially so, independently of the floors, preferably embedded in concrete or other fire-proof material at the bottom, and wholly incased with slashed metallic screening, so called, perforated sheet metal, or wiregauze, two thicknesses thereof being preferably used,with an intermediate air-space.

In the drawings, A, Fig. 1, represents a building, of which B indicates the floors, and O the concrete foundation for the elevatorshaft. D D are the main posts or frame of said shaft, which are embedded in said concrete, substantiallyas shown, and extend to the top of the building, the same being preferably constructed of angle-iron and tied and braced in any well-known way, so as to form a suitable frame. Upon both sides of said frame, and rigidly attached thereto, from said concrete foundation up to and over the top, I place a covering or casing of slashed metallic screening, E E, or wire-gauze, the former being preferred on account of its deeper meshes, and two thicknesses being preferably used instead of one, in which event it is desirable to separate them from each other, in order to leave an air-space between, and thus provide greater security against the passage of the flame, while a larger and stronger mesh may be used, if desired, in the covering. For the purpose of bracing said frame laterally and preventing it from swaying, I connect portions of the frame-work with said floors, respectively, by means of angle-irons b b, rigidly attached to the two, or in any equivalent manner; and in order to prevent the passage of flame between said elevator-shaft and the floors B, I extend gauze flanges or aprons E from said shaft to the bottom of each floor, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2; or, in lieu thereof, a filling of concrete, plaster-of-paris, or other non-combustible material may be employed.

The doors F are constructed in the usual way, and are likewise covered with said gauze.

Fig. ashows a modification of the construction above described, in that a single covering is used instead of two, as in the other figures.

Fig. 5 shows the material described as slashed metallic screening, which I regard as preferable to wire-gauze, especially where a single thickness is employed, as it presents deeper meshes, and is cheaper and stronger. The drawings show the meshes somewhat enlarged in order to clearly indicate the construction.

As flame cannot pass through the covering described, the whole of said shaft is rendered fire-proof thereby, while light and air are freely admitted.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim- 1. An elevator-shaft incased in slashed. me tallic screening, wiregauze, or equivalent material, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. An elevator-shaft covered and lined with slashed metallic screening, wire gauze, or equivalent material, and having an air-space between said covering and lining,. substanbeddedin concrete or other fire-proof matetially as set forth. rial, the frame-work of which is constructed 1 5 3. An elevator-shaft having its base emof metal and supported independently of the bedded in concrete or other fire-proof matefloors, except laterally, and is incased in one 5 rial, and incased with one or more thicknesses or more thicknesses of wire-gauze, with means of Wire-gauze, substantially as described. for preventing. the passage of flame around 4. The combination, with an elevator-shaft said elevator at said floors, respectively, sub- 20 consisting of a continuous metallic frame exstantially as described. tending from the bottom to the top of the to building, of acomplete metallic-gauze casing, EDWIN LEE BROWN substantially as set forih, and for the purposes WVitnesses: specified. D. H. FLETCHER, 5. An elevator shaft having its base em- J. B. HALPENNY. 

